Pulling teeth in Appalachia

It isn’t only dentists volunteering. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) was on hand, helping register patients and chatting with them. They may only know that their teeth hurt; he knows the policy gaps that make their problems hard to solve.

“Even if you expand Medicaid for medical care dentistry access, the number of dentists we train, the number of dentists that are in communities like this, it’s not enough,” Kaine said. “So we ought to be looking at reforms to Medicaid to expand dentistry, and we ought to be training more dentists.”

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A few bills have been introduced to enhance access to dental care. Given the gridlock in Congress and the divisiveness around the health law, it’s unlikely anything will change in the near future.

But, for now, Brock has stepped up to fill this unmet need at his U.S. clinics. Brock is a fit 77 years old with energy twice that of many of the younger volunteers. He expertly commands his organization with a gentle voice, thick with a British accent. A nearby volunteer and former U.S. Army officer quips, “There are no colonels in Stan’s army, just privates.”

Brock also serves as chief advocate against anything that stands in the way of his mission. He has testified before Congress twice. He has invited lawmakers to visit these mammoth moving clinics, although only a dozen or so have taken him up on the offer. One big obstacle he cites is state-enacted legal barriers against doctors providing free care across state lines.

“We just want access,” Brock said. “We’ve tested this in 700 expeditions. If you let doctors cross state lines, you’re going to be able to see many, many more patients. And … it’s at no cost to the government or the taxpayer. So why not let them do it?”

Only 10 states — Virginia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee — have enacted laws that provide a path for doctors to volunteer their services across states lines. At Wise, doctors from Illinois, New York and elsewhere travel on their own dime to come here to care for the people of Appalachia.

Kaine’s office was open to talking to Brock about how Congress might help. Brock also had a chance to discuss the matter with Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), who represents the Wise County area in Congress and who visited the RAM site.

While legislation moves at barely a slow crawl in Washington, RAM made a difference immediately — as Virginia resident Earl Compton can attest.

Compton was hit in the mouth while traveling with a carnival years ago. The injury knocked loose a tooth and started a chain reaction of gradual tooth decay. Weary of pain, with no access to dental care at the time, Compton tried to solve the problem himself, attacking the painful tooth with a pair of pliers.

Compton would repeat that painful process several times. Eight years ago, he started coming to RAM clinics. After years of pro bono care, Compton finally received a full set of dentures. Thanks to the volunteers at the muddy fairground, he could once again bite into an apple.